04-04-2017, 09:41 PM
*** 5-Apr-17 World View -- With Venezuela's Socialism spiraling into chaos, NY Times blames the mess on 'populism'
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Venezuela's Socialist government in political crisis as street violence grows
****
![[Image: g170404b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170404b.jpg)
Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Juan Requesens after being bloodied by a Maduro supporter (AP)
A march mon Monday by members of Venezuela's National Assembly who
were opposed to president Nicolás Maduro's Socialist government was
met by men with sticks and rocks by Socialist supporters.
On Tuesday, Venezuelan police attacked protesters with tear gas, water
cannons and pepper spray. The clashes began after the authorities
closed subway stations, set up checkpoints and cordoned off a square
where opponents had planned their latest protest against the Socialist
government and a crippling economic crisis.
The protests were triggered by a decision last week by the
Maduro-controlled Supreme Court to effectively dissolve the National
Assembly and take over its legislative powers, effectively making
Maduro a dictator.
Maduro is in control of the presidency, the army, the media, and the
courts. The National Assembly was the only body that expressed any
opposition to Maduro. Maduro has repeatedly used the courts to
reverse any legislative decisions that he didn't like, but this time
he was going to eliminate the legislative branch completely.
Maduro has been jailing bakers because there's a bread shortage, and
has been jailing factory workers because there's shortage of milk,
rice, flour, ketchup, diapers, and toilet paper. It seemed that
Maduro could get away with anything. So it was to everyone's surprise
that Maduro's latest move generated worldwide outrage, even from some
normally compliant mainstream media sources. Even Maduro's attorney
general Luisa Ortega Diaz was opposed to the latest move.
The international opposition caused Venezuela's Supreme Court to
reverse the decision on Saturday, but the crisis has continued because
it triggered violence in the streets. There were thousands of people
on both sides, pro- and anti-Maduro, in a situation where anger is
increasing between the "haves" supporting Maduro and the "have-nots"
opposed to Maduro. Reuters and Washington Post and Venezuelanalysis
Related Articles
****
**** Organization of American States (OAS) approves scathing condemnation of Venezuela
****
The Organization of American States (OAS) approved on Monday
overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding that Venezuela restore
full constitutional authority to the National Assembly.
However, that decision came at the end of two days of extraordinary
brinksmanship.
On April 1, Bolivia assumed the rotating Pro Tempore presidency of the
OAS. A meeting had been previously scheduled to discuss the Venezuela
situation, but Bolivia is one of the two closest allies to Venezuela's
Socialist government, the other one being Ecuador. So the first
action taken by the Bolivian representative was to cancel the meeting.
This infuriated other OAS members, led by Costa Rica and Mexico, so
they conducted what is being called an "institutional coup," and went
ahead with the cancelled meeting. Bolivia protested the move and
subsequently walked out of the meeting, joined by Venezuela, Nicaragua
and Ecuador.
There were 21 remaining countries at the meeting, and 17 nations
approved the resolution, with four abstentions: Dominican Republic,
Bahamas, Belize and El Salvador.
According to the text of the resolution:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"EXPRESSING our grave concern regarding the
> unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order in the
> Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and our continuous support for
> dialogue and negotiation to lead to a peaceful restoration of
> democratic order,
>
> [The OAS] DECLARES that: The decisions of the Supreme Court of
> Venezuela to suspend the powers of the National Assembly and to
> arrogate them to itself are inconsistent with democratic practice
> and constitute an alteration of the constitutional order of the
> Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Notwithstanding the recent
> revision of some elements of these decisions, it is essential that
> the Government of Venezuela ensures the full restoration of
> democratic order."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Pary Rodriguez, Bolivia's OAS representative, said that the resolution
is "totally illegal and arbitrary and don’t correspond to the norms of
international law." Latin American Herald Tribune and Panama Post and TeleSur
Related Articles
****
**** NY Times blames Venezuela's chaos on 'populism' not Socialism
****
In a lengthy article that doesn't anywhere contain any form of the
world "Socialism," the New York Times blamed Venezuela's massive
economic crisis on populism, apparently to take a swipe at Donald
Trump.
According to the article:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"When Hugo Chávez took power in Venezuela nearly 20
> years ago, the leftist populism he championed was supposed to save
> democracy. Instead, it has led to democracy’s implosion in the
> country, marked this past week by an attack on the independence of
> its Legislature.
>
> Venezuela’s fate stands as a warning: Populism is a path that, at
> its outset, can look and feel democratic. But, followed to its
> logical conclusion, it can lead to democratic backsliding or even
> outright authoritarianism."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
This is really laughable. I remember, years ago, when I really
admired the NY Times, but since the 1980s it's move progressively
leftist, and today no longer reports news.
Socialism has led to disaster every time it's been tried. There have
been oceans of blood spilled in the name of Socialism in countries
like the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and China. In fact,
Socialism has been such a disaster that every country has been forced
to abandon it, including the Soviet Union, Cuba, China, East Germany,
and so forth. North Korea hasn't abandoned it, and that whole country
is a disaster. Venezuela is headed the same way.
How stupid to you have to be to "believe" in Socialism when it's
failed spectacularly every time it's been tried, and has never been
successful - not even once?
Actually, as I've written several times in the past, it's pretty easy
to prove mathematically that Socialism always collapses.
In 1991, I visited a huge computer show in Hanover, Germany. It was a
special occasion because the Berlin Wall had just fallen, and East
Germans were visiting the show for the first time. "They're in a
state of shock," I was told. "They're still using punched card
equipment from the 1950s." Why had Communist East Germany gotten
stuck in the 1950s?
The same with Cuba, which is still using automobiles from the 1950s.
In medieval times, a feudal estate with a couple of hundred tenants
could be run on a Socialist basis, if the feudal lord desired. All
he'd need is one or two "regulators" to make sure that all prices were
fixed and all transactions follow the law.
But as the population grows exponentially, the number of transactions
grows exponentially faster, and so the number of "regulators" needed
becomes a larger and larger percentage of the population. By the time
you have a country with millions of people, every person would have to
be a "regulator" to make it work, and obviously that's impossible. So
that's why countries like East Germany, North Korea, Russia and Cuba
all got stuck in the 1950s until they gave up Socialism. NY Times and News Busters
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros,
Organization of American States, OAS, Bolivia, Ecuador,
Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic,
Bahamas, Belize, El Salvador, Pary Rodriguez,
Russia, North Korea, Cuba, East Germany, China
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Venezuela's Socialist government in political crisis as street violence grows
- Organization of American States (OAS) approves scathing condemnation of Venezuela
- NY Times blames Venezuela's chaos on 'populism' not Socialism
****
**** Venezuela's Socialist government in political crisis as street violence grows
****
Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Juan Requesens after being bloodied by a Maduro supporter (AP)
A march mon Monday by members of Venezuela's National Assembly who
were opposed to president Nicolás Maduro's Socialist government was
met by men with sticks and rocks by Socialist supporters.
On Tuesday, Venezuelan police attacked protesters with tear gas, water
cannons and pepper spray. The clashes began after the authorities
closed subway stations, set up checkpoints and cordoned off a square
where opponents had planned their latest protest against the Socialist
government and a crippling economic crisis.
The protests were triggered by a decision last week by the
Maduro-controlled Supreme Court to effectively dissolve the National
Assembly and take over its legislative powers, effectively making
Maduro a dictator.
Maduro is in control of the presidency, the army, the media, and the
courts. The National Assembly was the only body that expressed any
opposition to Maduro. Maduro has repeatedly used the courts to
reverse any legislative decisions that he didn't like, but this time
he was going to eliminate the legislative branch completely.
Maduro has been jailing bakers because there's a bread shortage, and
has been jailing factory workers because there's shortage of milk,
rice, flour, ketchup, diapers, and toilet paper. It seemed that
Maduro could get away with anything. So it was to everyone's surprise
that Maduro's latest move generated worldwide outrage, even from some
normally compliant mainstream media sources. Even Maduro's attorney
general Luisa Ortega Diaz was opposed to the latest move.
The international opposition caused Venezuela's Supreme Court to
reverse the decision on Saturday, but the crisis has continued because
it triggered violence in the streets. There were thousands of people
on both sides, pro- and anti-Maduro, in a situation where anger is
increasing between the "haves" supporting Maduro and the "have-nots"
opposed to Maduro. Reuters and Washington Post and Venezuelanalysis
Related Articles
- Hugo Chávez dismantled Venezuela's businesses on purpose to create Socialist Paradise (29-May-2016)
- Venezuela's Socialist government arrests bakers because of bread shortage (20-Mar-2017)
- Venezuela economy close to collapse as Maduro orders jailing of factory owners (15-May-2016)
****
**** Organization of American States (OAS) approves scathing condemnation of Venezuela
****
The Organization of American States (OAS) approved on Monday
overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding that Venezuela restore
full constitutional authority to the National Assembly.
However, that decision came at the end of two days of extraordinary
brinksmanship.
On April 1, Bolivia assumed the rotating Pro Tempore presidency of the
OAS. A meeting had been previously scheduled to discuss the Venezuela
situation, but Bolivia is one of the two closest allies to Venezuela's
Socialist government, the other one being Ecuador. So the first
action taken by the Bolivian representative was to cancel the meeting.
This infuriated other OAS members, led by Costa Rica and Mexico, so
they conducted what is being called an "institutional coup," and went
ahead with the cancelled meeting. Bolivia protested the move and
subsequently walked out of the meeting, joined by Venezuela, Nicaragua
and Ecuador.
There were 21 remaining countries at the meeting, and 17 nations
approved the resolution, with four abstentions: Dominican Republic,
Bahamas, Belize and El Salvador.
According to the text of the resolution:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"EXPRESSING our grave concern regarding the
> unconstitutional alteration of the democratic order in the
> Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and our continuous support for
> dialogue and negotiation to lead to a peaceful restoration of
> democratic order,
>
> [The OAS] DECLARES that: The decisions of the Supreme Court of
> Venezuela to suspend the powers of the National Assembly and to
> arrogate them to itself are inconsistent with democratic practice
> and constitute an alteration of the constitutional order of the
> Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Notwithstanding the recent
> revision of some elements of these decisions, it is essential that
> the Government of Venezuela ensures the full restoration of
> democratic order."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
Pary Rodriguez, Bolivia's OAS representative, said that the resolution
is "totally illegal and arbitrary and don’t correspond to the norms of
international law." Latin American Herald Tribune and Panama Post and TeleSur
Related Articles
****
**** NY Times blames Venezuela's chaos on 'populism' not Socialism
****
In a lengthy article that doesn't anywhere contain any form of the
world "Socialism," the New York Times blamed Venezuela's massive
economic crisis on populism, apparently to take a swipe at Donald
Trump.
According to the article:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"When Hugo Chávez took power in Venezuela nearly 20
> years ago, the leftist populism he championed was supposed to save
> democracy. Instead, it has led to democracy’s implosion in the
> country, marked this past week by an attack on the independence of
> its Legislature.
>
> Venezuela’s fate stands as a warning: Populism is a path that, at
> its outset, can look and feel democratic. But, followed to its
> logical conclusion, it can lead to democratic backsliding or even
> outright authoritarianism."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
This is really laughable. I remember, years ago, when I really
admired the NY Times, but since the 1980s it's move progressively
leftist, and today no longer reports news.
Socialism has led to disaster every time it's been tried. There have
been oceans of blood spilled in the name of Socialism in countries
like the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea and China. In fact,
Socialism has been such a disaster that every country has been forced
to abandon it, including the Soviet Union, Cuba, China, East Germany,
and so forth. North Korea hasn't abandoned it, and that whole country
is a disaster. Venezuela is headed the same way.
How stupid to you have to be to "believe" in Socialism when it's
failed spectacularly every time it's been tried, and has never been
successful - not even once?
Actually, as I've written several times in the past, it's pretty easy
to prove mathematically that Socialism always collapses.
In 1991, I visited a huge computer show in Hanover, Germany. It was a
special occasion because the Berlin Wall had just fallen, and East
Germans were visiting the show for the first time. "They're in a
state of shock," I was told. "They're still using punched card
equipment from the 1950s." Why had Communist East Germany gotten
stuck in the 1950s?
The same with Cuba, which is still using automobiles from the 1950s.
In medieval times, a feudal estate with a couple of hundred tenants
could be run on a Socialist basis, if the feudal lord desired. All
he'd need is one or two "regulators" to make sure that all prices were
fixed and all transactions follow the law.
But as the population grows exponentially, the number of transactions
grows exponentially faster, and so the number of "regulators" needed
becomes a larger and larger percentage of the population. By the time
you have a country with millions of people, every person would have to
be a "regulator" to make it work, and obviously that's impossible. So
that's why countries like East Germany, North Korea, Russia and Cuba
all got stuck in the 1950s until they gave up Socialism. NY Times and News Busters
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros,
Organization of American States, OAS, Bolivia, Ecuador,
Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic,
Bahamas, Belize, El Salvador, Pary Rodriguez,
Russia, North Korea, Cuba, East Germany, China
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
